Chapter 685 – The First Wish, Yu Songee (2)
—
– Yu Songee
An extraterrestrial being once showed me some mercy.
“It’ll be useful if I keep her alive. I’ll manage it.”
It didn’t take long for me to grasp the meaning behind those words.
The monsters had trapped me in a cat’s body.
— Meow!
The one teasing me with cruelty, ‘Mom.’
The one who didn’t wish for my death and showed a shred of mercy, ‘Dad.’
In the end, they weren’t that different from one another.
If the former viewed me as a nuisance like a wild animal, the latter regarded me only as a poor pet.
…
As I flowed through time, trapped in the heart of a cat with a human mind, my situation was pitiful indeed. But because of this, the two extraterrestrials ceased to act human in my presence.
For instance, they spoke bluntly about things they wouldn’t have dared mention before.
— Meow!
— “Ugh, what’s with the noise? Food running low? Can’t we just let you starve to death?”
— “Just feed me! More importantly, the duke has issued orders. The king—”
As time went on, I gradually understood the situation.
They referred to themselves as counts and dukes, acting as if they were in some noble circle.
Rather than being rampaging evil spirits, they belonged to an extraterrestrial race with their own internal order and society.
They were looking for a “king” on Earth, and the invasion was merely a process, not the goal.
They had tried negotiating and even threatening the Management Bureau several times for information about the king, but it appeared that all their efforts had failed.
The king.
The king of demons.
The king of the extraterrestrial race.
The king of Is.
The moment I first heard those words, I trembled all over.
Because as soon as I heard them, I knew—it was clear that the king was the source of all evil and the starting point of all problems!
…
Tears had dried up.
Despair felt mundane, and pain was just a part of daily life.
I was a mute beast, struggling to live without dying.
If there were any emotions left in me, they were the thirst for revenge and a longing for opportunity.
I wished for just one chance!
One day, as I endured each day with that emotion—
The situation suddenly shifted in a way no one could have anticipated.
— Grrr…!
I heard an earth-shattering roar.
It was a tremendous sound as if the sky were about to collapse!
What the heck was this?
Unlike me, bewildered and in the dark, the two monsters seemed to realize something.
“Ugh! What’s going on? Th-this is—”
“Grace! It’s a grace! The king is attempting to grant grace!”
“Grace? What are you talking about? Here on Earth, that means—”
“The target of the grace is humans? Why would it bestow such blessings on those wretched beings?”
The king of Is was starting a “grace” aimed at humans?
‘Mom’ questioned the fact that anyone would show grace to humans, but more significantly, ‘Dad’ focused on something else entirely.
“Grace or whatever, there’s no way it will succeed!”
“Huh?”
“Think about it! Just how many humans are there, and how lowly they’re rated!”
“Th-that’s—”
“It absolutely can’t succeed. It will fail, without a doubt!”
According to ‘Dad,’ the ritual of grace that the king of Is was attempting would surely fail.
There were simply too many humans, and they were far too inferior.
The moment the word “failure” was uttered, ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ froze like statues.
As if they had just realized a terrifying truth.
Soon, ‘Mom’ whispered, her voice trembling.
“F-failing means, therefore—”
“Descending, not ascending.”
“I don’t care what happens to humans! My point is that the grace’s range encompasses all stars! The price of failure will fall back on us too!”
“Ah…”
I tried desperately to make sense of the situation.
These extraterrestrials had come to Earth searching for a king.
It turned out that the king was attempting a grand ritual of “grace” on Earth.
But the race of Is believed that this ritual was doomed to fail.
The price of success was ascension.
The price of failure was descent.
Since the scope of the ritual covered all stars, the consequences of failure would also impact everyone.
Including humanity and even the very race of Is that was invading Earth!
— Grrr…!
A second roar erupted.
This time, a strange wave accompanied the overwhelming sound, something surreal.
Soon, an odd tickling sensation swept through the area as if fur was being brushed—
“Grrr!”
“Eek!”
At that moment, the two extraterrestrials who had snatched my parents’ bodies collapsed onto the ground with agonized screams.
— …Meow?
They looked like goldfish gasping for air.
In that instant, I could no longer hold back; I leaped onto ‘Mom’s’ body.
I bit and clawed at the others.
They could make no resistance whatsoever.
In a pitiful state, they didn’t even have the power to use any mysterious abilities.
It seemed as if they had forgotten how to move their bodies.
Was this so-called “great race” ending up in a situation worse than a miserable beast?
—…
At that moment, the emotion filling my heart wasn’t the thrill of revenge.
It was emptiness.
A hollowness so profound, it felt sad in a way.
The one driving my existence all this time was the sentiment of “I will get my revenge one day!” but…
What kind of revenge is this?
I hadn’t done anything! I was just meowing away while they were swept up in some calamity I didn’t even understand.
Would biting and scratching at the bodies of pathetic creatures offer any meaningful impact?
Especially since those bodies originally belonged to my parents!
In the extreme emptiness, at least one fact surfaced in my mind.
Those demons, monsters, and aliens who had turned my life into hell…
They were merely “insignificant beings.”
In a drama I loved, they were the consummate supporting roles, not the protagonists.
At this moment, the sole protagonist in this world was one.
The “king of Is.”
— Grrr…!
When the third roar echoed, I felt my fate crystalize.
This time, the descent wouldn’t be something I could evade, even in the form of a cat.
As my final wish of revenge crumbled devastatingly…
For the first time, whether as human Yu Songee or as cat Yu Songee, I thought something I had never thought before.
I wanted to be at the center of the world.
Whether I was strong or weak, I didn’t want to end like this in emptiness.
If there is a demon king in the world, I wanted to die at least by that king’s sword.
I didn’t want to just fade away from the fringes, ignored by a demonic king!
So…
“I want to be the protagonist.”
When that earnest wish finally tumbled out of my mouth, a miracle occurred.
“I was waiting for those words.”
In the pale light, the world seemed to come to a standstill.
Even the waves of descent sweeping through the stars felt like they couldn’t breach this moment.
Before me was an indiscernible figure.
A woman radiating grace and elegance.
Beyond that, I couldn’t see.
Sadly, a cat’s vision isn’t as good as that of a human.
“Wh-who… oh? How can I talk?”
“Shall we say it’s the hotel’s mercy for this moment? Realistically speaking, I don’t possess telepathy.”
The angelic being smiled softly, embraced my feline form, and gently patted my head.
“Oh, poor child. You must have endured until now dreaming of revenge only to have your last hope return in vain.”
In the surreal atmosphere, my dazed eyes flicked to the monsters sprawled on the ground.
“Have they lost even the power to control their bodies as a result of the descent? They were remnants of greatness, but now they too are met with a pitiful fate…”
Soon, her gaze turned back to me, her smile ever-present.
“Of course, you wouldn’t find them pitiful.”
“Who, who are you? Are you an angel?”
“Angel… If we define an angel as an exquisitely beautiful messenger sent by a great one, then it wouldn’t be incorrect.”
“Then please help me!”
“What do you wish for?”
“These monsters aren’t my parents! My real parents are—”
Please return Mom and Dad to their original forms. Bring back the parents who died as beasts and erase the tragedy that happened to my family.
As those wishes were about to burst from my lips—
Her hand swiftly covered my mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
“I lack the ability to revive the dead. Even if I could, I wouldn’t.”
“Why… why?”
“Because that is the rule of this moment and the order of the hotel.”
The rules of this moment, the order of the hotel.
“Save yourself from hell.”
Soon, a calm voice flowed from the angel’s mouth.
“Speak your desires. This shall be your first wish.”
With a heartful, earnest wish, I clasped my hands together.
Not a wish someone else would fulfill for me, but a wish I would actively obtain myself.
I would pray to the great one who sent down the angels.
Please, grant me this opportunity.
Let me have the clarity to never fall for the demons’ sly tricks again.
Grant me the power to show eternal suffering to those minuscule creatures that consider themselves “great.”
If I could add just one more…
Please let me be at the center of the world.
If there is a demon king in the world, I wanted to die by that king’s sword, not fade away aimlessly in ignorance!
— Rumble!
When I heard a thunderous sound from somewhere, the angel—no, the “Ascendant” smiled brightly.
“Well, let’s get going.”
“W-are you going to the same place as me?”
“The location may be similar, but the destinations differ.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re just beginning, but I’m at the end.”
*
.
..
…
— Bang!
With a sensation like popping, I woke up.
The recollection ended, and I was back in the present.
My head throbbed painfully.
It was overwhelming; too much information churned like a tempest in my mind!
So, that graceful woman was the Ascendant?
That wasn’t too strange!
Think about the “memories when entering the hotel” that Kain had acquired in Jeju Island.
He mentioned he also had encountered a being regarded as an Ascendant, right?
I had merely experienced something similar—
“…Ah.”
In an instant, the jumble of thoughts clattering through my brain vanished.
In front of me were a filthy gray dog and a staggering crow.
My beloved real parents.
“Pfft!”
I was overjoyed.
So ecstatic, it was hard to hold back.
If no one was around, I would have burst into a mad cackle of laughter.
Because, in this hour of Room 301…
My “real” parents were safely alive at home!
The magnificent hotel had granted my wish for an opportunity.
At that moment, I decided to forget all the complaints I had harbored against the hotel.
“Mom, Dad. Just wait a bit longer. I’m coming!”
Ahaha!
I couldn’t believe I was more excited about reuniting with my “fake parents” than my true ones!
I wonder if there exists a devoted daughter like me in this world?
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